I, the Rock King Emperor with 21 billion in power, have joined the chat group.

"Please be careful with your words." Pope Dustin VIXI of the Divine Word Church gently tapped the table, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "This is, after all, the papal chamber of the Divine Word Church. As the current Pope, I can still hear your slanders against the gods."

"Hmph! Old man." The Sword Emperor narrowed his eyes: "If you truly had a devout faith in the gods, would you have specifically invited only a few of us to this small hall to plot against each other? Hmph!"

“You’ve misunderstood, Sword Emperor.” Dustin VIXI smiled gently, without a trace of unusual expression: “As the Pope of the Divine Word Cult, I believe in the Word of God, not some so-called ‘Rock Dragon Zhongli’ that came from who-knows-where.”

"Hahaha, that's true too. I forgot about that, what a pity." The Sword Emperor laughed heartily.

A few seconds later, he abruptly stopped smiling and looked seriously at Dustin VIXI, who was in his hands.

"Speak, you old fox, what exactly are you planning to do? This damned wager between gods is going to make us their pawns. It's utterly disgusting."

"It's not time yet." Dustin VIXI narrowed his eyes slightly. "There are still many things we don't know about why the divine being has appeared, at least..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

A sudden voice entered his mind.

Greetings to the humans and demons of this planet.

You may call me Evil God D.

Haha, this title must make everyone quite uneasy.

---This is....

Dustin VIXI looked around at the people with a complicated expression. Sure enough, everyone except him was listening to the voice in their minds with a distorted expression.

"This is the word of God!"

"They've arrived." Sword Emperor Yiran and the King of the Kingdom of Anareto exchanged a glance.

However, don't worry, because what I'm about to say will make you even more uneasy.

For certain reasons, I made a bet with a powerful deity.

And the pieces in this gamble are the demons and humans on your planet.

I am informing those who already know this.

I hereby declare.

From this day forward until ten years from today, an insurmountable abyss, Naraku, will emerge between humans and demons.

Strive on, climb higher, and please me.

Let's make this world a more interesting place.

I'm looking forward to seeing you all, and I'm looking forward to seeing you too.

At this point, all sounds ceased abruptly, and the declaration of the "Word of God" left many people bewildered.

However, to the Pope and others in the know, it carried a subtle sense of apprehension.

Although they didn't fully understand what kind of being the evil god D was, they could hear many terrifying aspects in his declaration.

When a god does not treat her people as lambs to be shepherded, but as toys, then her people will surely live in misery.

"Damn it!" The Sword Emperor slammed his fist on the table in front of him.

The immense force smashed the table to pieces in an instant.

The atmosphere in the entire papal chamber immediately became tense.

"What should we do? Are we really going to listen to the words of these gods, treat our people as expendable resources, and fight a final battle against the demons in ten years?"

The king of the Kingdom of Anareto sighed again as he spoke, "Alas! What should we do?"

Dustin VIXI remained silent for a long while, then opened his mouth to say something, and a new "Word of God" suddenly resounded in his mind.

Greetings, fellow humans.

[I am Zhongli, the Rock Dragon, and also the god who just made a bet with the evil god D.]

From this day forward until the end of the bet, the entire human skill system will be under my influence.

I know you may have many questions and a lot of anxiety.

But rest assured, I have taken care of everything you need and everything I intend to change.

In the near future, perhaps you will realize the significance of what I have said.

【Fellow humans.】

Come on, not for victory, but for dignity.

[And to those who know the truth, please remember my words.]

I don't need your help, nor do I care if you try to stop me. Ten years is a long time; enough for you to see me clearly, and enough for me to see you clearly.

The voice of the divine words abruptly stopped once again.

The Pope and the two kings suddenly looked at each other, completely at a loss for what to do.

Chapter 42 The Game: Year One (1)

Skill System World, Closed Calendar Year 1, Month 1, Day

Centered on the Great Labyrinth of Eluro, a colossal wall soaring to the heavens completely separates the human realm from the demonic territory.

This wall, confirmed by the most powerful human mage, should be the legendary, supreme abyss magic that can kill gods—the giantification of Naraku.

With the current power of humankind, it is absolutely impossible to cause any damage to this wall.

It was this very wall that made the top leaders of human nations truly recognize the power possessed by the gods, and also made them abandon their illusions.

Thus, under the leadership of the human kingdoms, with the Holy Aleus Papal Kingdom and the Pope of the Divine Word Church at its core, the humankind on this planet ushered in its first nominal unification.

Although there have been some bumps along the way, at least the original hostile relations between the various countries have become less important due to the real possibility of genocide.

The Alliance of Human Kings is also working hard to increase the strength of the entire human race in preparation for the war ten years from now.

......

One year after the abyss wall was erected, it was sealed off on the first day of the third month of the second year.

In the royal garden of the capital city of Anareto.

A young man who could be considered handsome was brandishing a weapon in the garden, with a slightly younger child behind him.

The boy brandished his weapon, unleashing his full power, sweat dripping onto the ground like rain.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that even in his self-training, this young man was pushing himself to the highest standards.

This kind of training, which feels like a real life-or-death battle and pushes one's strength to the limit, is something that even a gifted young person cannot sustain for long.

Just half an hour later, he had to stop wielding his longsword, take a towel from a servant to wipe his sweat, and drink a specially prepared herbal beverage to replenish his energy.

At this point, the young child who had been watching him finally called out his name.

"Brother Julius, you've worked hard."

"Oh, it's Xiu Rein." The former hero Julius looked at his younger brother, happily squatted down, and extended his hug to him.

“Brother Julius.” The fourth prince, Shurein, looked at his brother somewhat awkwardly. Instead of rushing into his brother’s arms like an ordinary child, he coughed twice and turned his head away. “Brother, I’m not a child anymore. Please stop treating me like one.”

"Haha, Shurein is so cute, alright, alright." The former hero Julius ruffled his precocious younger brother's hair and laughed heartily, "I will never call Shurein a child again."

As they were chatting, Julius, the former hero, was about to say something when a voice suddenly entered his ears.

"Your Highness Julius, the King and His Holiness the Papal States are waiting for you."

The order from the messenger made the former hero Julius shake his head slightly.

He crouched down, close to Xiu Rein, and patted his head again with a smile: "Xiu Rein, I'm going to the conference hall to have a meeting with Father and the ambassadors from other countries. Wait for me here for a bit. If there's enough time, I'll explain the swordsmanship to you today."

“Hmm.” The fourth prince, Xiu Lein, who was also Jun, a reincarnated person from the planet Earth, was looking at his brother’s back with longing.

Coming from Earth, he naturally admired his brother, who was full of chivalry, always striving, and always so gentle.

"I want to learn from my brother today too."

Having made this decision in his heart, Xiu Lei picked up his own wooden sword and began to imitate his brother's swordsmanship!

Swish! Swish! Swish!

After wielding the wooden sword for an unknown amount of time, just as Reinin's hands were almost numb...

Just as he expected, a sound that seemed to explode directly in his brain came through.

[Only when skill proficiency reaches a certain level can the swordsmanship skill be upgraded from LV1 to LV2.]

[Once skill proficiency reaches a certain level, focus will be upgraded from LV2 to LV3.]

------I've finally mastered swordsmanship to level 2. Level 3 shouldn't be too far off.

However, I am perhaps more suited to magic than swordsmanship.

As soon as Xiu Rein opened the Appraisal tool, he used it on himself and immediately saw all his attributes and skills.

After pondering for a few seconds, Xiu Rein had to admit that his magical abilities were what he was most proud of, rather than his swordsmanship and physical prowess.

[Magic Perception LV5] [Magic Manipulation LV5], [Magic Enhancement LV3] [MP Recovery Speed ​​LV2]

With so many magical skills far exceeding those of ordinary ones, Xiu Rein could only shake his head in frustration.

----I guess I'm really suited for magic after all.

A moment later, just as he was about to close his skill page, his peripheral vision involuntarily caught sight of the lowest point on his skill panel.

There, lying quietly, were three beings with abilities that were clearly extraordinary.

[Divine Protection]

【N%I=W】

[LVMAX: The Realm of Super-Accelerated Thinking]

----kindness???

I still remember the first two skills, but what about the third one?

Xiu Lei's expression suddenly changed.

----【LVMAX, the realm of super-accelerated thinking】

----When did this skill appear?